This invention relates to optoelectronics and in particular to packaged optoelectronics devices.
In the field of optoelectronics, it is common to form an optical subassembly including a laser and a ball lens on a silicon substrate. (See, e.g., Anigbo patent 5,881,193, which is incorporated by reference herein). Such an assembly is packaged so as to align the laser light with an optical fiber using another ball lens. (See, e.g., Osenbach et al., Electronics Components Testing Conference, Pg. 313-323, 1998.) The package is usually made of ceramic and/or metal, and the fiber is usually welded to the package. While generally adequate, such packages tend to be expensive, and the laser welding process is usually time-consuming.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a low cost package with high speed active alignment between the optical devices and the optical fiber.
The invention is an optoelectronic device including an optical subassembly enclosed within a plastic housing. The housing includes a wall with an aperture and a lens mounted therein. A plastic receptacle is mounted to the wall. The receptacle includes an opening which is aligned with the lens and which is capable of receiving an optical fiber so that the fiber is aligned with light emitted from the optical assembly. The receptacle is preferably mounted to the wall by means of epoxy.